Folk often ask me how I became interested in wildlife. The answer is simple: I was born. Growing up on Kingbilli, in the depths of the Great Dividing Range, my childhood comprised more time with various animals than humans. The usual farm critters and pets abounded, and even a couple of little native furries joined us for a time when I was small.

Since first I could walk, I spent hours roaming the remnant patches of bushland on and surrounding Kingbilli, as well as the magnificent forests of the Cathedral Range State Park, just across the road.

Naturally, this tendency to 'go walkabout', invariably without warning, caused my poor parents (Ginny & Michael Beach) some concern during those first few years … two decades on, family and friends have grown
accustomed to my disappearing acts.

So, for a self-confessed, raving greenie reaching adulthood, there were three obvious options: become a biologist, an activist or a wildlife carer. Filled with youthful enthusiasm, I chose all three. I mean … who needs sleep, right? Afterall... I was going to save the planet!

Okay, so I'm still working on that part...

Some years later, I'm older and remain predominantly sleepless, but my passion continues to wax rather than wane. I have discovered my three chosen paths run parallel, and with an infinitely patient man in my life to pick me up at the end of hard day ... I continue to pursue them with vigour.

Environmental activism is critical in this materialistic age, but limited in its effectiveness without a substantial element of practicality and a generous dose of strategy. To be practical, one requires relevant biological and ecological knowledge, which can be acquired only through studying the critters in question. To be strategic, one must know one's audience.

Combining academic study with running a wildlife shelter provides the opportunities to learn wildlife biology and behaviour from every angle; whilst Kingbilli's role in the ecotourism industry offers an invaluable insight into the attitudes of hundreds of people from all walks of life, and all levels of environmental awareness.

These experiences have helped me to develop what one might call my "three-pronged approach to saving the planet". The Three Keys to Conservation.

Sounds like the title of a book, but let's not get ahead of ourselves ... just remember you read it here first........!
 
 
 
 

1. Education:
Apart from a few less-than-lady-like exchanges during wildlife rescues when members of the inevitably-gathered audience point out their fondness for "wombat sausages" and the like ... and the occasional (okay, regular) lengthy lectures delivered to my long-suffering family and friends at the end of "one of those days" ... my presentation as a raving greenie is usually relatively toned-down.

Screaming at folk rarely succeeds in changing their opinions, so I prefer the

educational approach. Raising awareness of the issues, teaching
the basics; explaining the whys and wherefores behind

the green argument; nurturing interest in the uniqueness of the creatures we're trying to conserve - this is usually the winning method. And, most importantly, ensuring my own knowledge in my chosen discipline - the biology/ecology of marsupials and snakes - is as complete as is possible in this relatively poorly studied field.

2. Activism:
Nothing is impossible - some things take a little longer. This has become my personal mantra over the years as I continue fighting battles in the war of humans versus wildlife. After serving three years on the council of the Australian Conservation Foundation - the "big picture" end of town - I decided the time had come to resign my post and re-focus on grass roots issues.

 
Whilst the "big picture" is important - I have found this top-down approach to conservation to be top-heavy. Too many people sitting in meeting rooms in the CBD arguing over policy for 2050 and too few out saving the animals which need attention TODAY. Long-term policy is crucial, yes: but some little critters cannot wait until tomorrow. Like the environment itself - everything is a matter of balance.
   

3. Care:
The 18th century British statesman and philosopher, Edmund Burke, once said - "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only little". This should be the catch-cry of all wildlife carers. Conservation at the level of the individual is equally as important as the "big picture". Individuals count - unfortunately, this is something we humans often forget - unless, of course, said individual is of our own species. But consider, if individual Gilbert's Potoroos had "counted" a few decades ago, there would be more than 40 of them left today.

Wildlife Rescue is the front-line of conservation. This is the mud and trenches zone, folks, where one sees it all - and sometimes in just one day. Wildlife Rescue is at once a compulsion and
a motivation. The inevitable hardship drives

a self-perpetuating cycle: observing such wonderful animals suffer so unjustly makes one long to turn away, yet simultaneously pushes one to try harder to eliminate their suffering altogether.

To me, wildlife conservation as a whole has become a moral obligation, however
misguided that may be. I find myself compelled to do all I can to compensate for the mistakes of my own species.

Afterall, in the majority of cases, it is my fellow man behind these wildlife casualties, directly or indirectly.
 
At the large scale, logging, land-clearing, mining, pollution, the burning of fossil fuels, introduction of exotic animals and diseases to places they do not belong ... these human activities threaten the global ecosystem as a whole, let alone the multitude of species inhabiting it. At the individual level, car accidents, tree-felling, earth-works, shooting, baiting, trapping, and the irresponsible management of domestic pets are the causes behind the enormous annual caseload faced by wildlife carers nationwide.
 

The fact is all these negative impacts can be removed, or at the very least, minimized, if folk learn to care. I won't bore you with lectures on the global environmental crisis - other like-minded organisations are doing an admirable job on that front ... even the odd politician is learning some suitably green lines to recite in front of the cameras at appropriate intervals.

My interest is the difference we little people on the ground can make everyday.

 
The solution to shooting, baiting and trapping native animals is obvious - stop! If you were born with the ancestral desires of a hunter ... fine ... but make yourself useful and turn your skills towards reducing the numbers of the many feral animals present in this country which are in dire need of removal. If you must fell a tree, check it out first for hollows or nests - and, if you find some, telephone your State's wildlife network and get hold of someone capable of relocating the animals before you bring their home crashing to the ground. If you are undertaking earth-works, or constructions of any kind - take care, be observant, and think ahead. Don't leave newly-dug pits and spoon-drains open overnight for animals to fall into, and have the Wombat relocated before the bulldozer comes through.
 
 
Now we come to the two most significant causes of wildlife casualties. Cars and pets. The Australian ecosystem developed exclusive of cats and dogs. Even the Dingo, majestic as it is, was imported from Asia by humans some 4000 years ago. Cats and dogs hunt differently from native predators, and our wildlife are
simply not equipped to cope with them. Thus, if you have these as pets - understand

that they do not belong, and act accordingly.

Do not let them roam free after dark, and in the case of cats, preferably not at all. One seemingly well-fed, well-behaved domestic moggy can kill 300 native animals in a year if allowed outdoors. And no, bells on the collar do not make the slightest difference. Make no mistake: all cats kill. And as for Fido, just because he's asleep on the mat in the morning does not mean he was there all night. This does not make cats or dogs evil ... not at all ... it's simply the way they evolved to be, and it's up to us to be responsible owners and take that into account.


Car accidents happen - and some are unavoidable.
Others are not, and these are my first concern. Drivers have been observed deliberately lining up and running down a native animal on the road. This is unforgivable. For those other drivers, who would not deliberately kill, please: drive more slowly after dark, keep your eyes open, look along the verges and not just the road itself ... and, most importantly folks, if you hit something, STOP.

If you see something lying on the side of the road, which you did not hit yourself, STOP.

 
I never cease to be amazed at the sheer number of cars which will go by a dead mother Kangaroo or Wombat before someone finally stops and rescues the orphaned joey waiting in her pouch. The protection afforded to a joey by its mother's pouch (in any species of Marsupial) is such that in the vast majority of cases, the joey survives when the mother is killed by a car. It can live up to three days in the pouch by the side of the road ... if only someone would stop and find it.

This is my greatest request, dear readers: if you see a dead Marsupial, stop. It takes but a moment, and it might save a life.


Life at Kingbilli Wildlife Rescue is not all doom and gloom: it is lived by the three keys to conservation outlined above, and the overall result is one of great joy and many rewards. For me, reaching adulthood has also meant assuming responsibility of the direction of Kingbilli overall, and my other half and I are committed to ensuring the property exemplifies environmentally harmonious living to the best of its capacity.

My three keys have provided me with a framework in which to develop a "Kingbilli Plan", focusing upon
raising awareness within our visitors and guests; enacting our conservation beliefs by setting aside
tracts of land purely for wildlife and continuing to improve the habitat therein; and giving those animals which come into our care a second chance at the life they all deserve. Everyone who sets foot through these gates receives a healthy dose of conservation ethics - often whether they like it or not - and I hope, upon leaving, some are inspired to make a difference in their own part of the world.

Education is constant and unending, activism is an everyday part of my life, new conservation projects are underway all the time ... and there is no shortage of reminders of what it's all about. When I walk out the door into the rescue centre's enclosures, I see animals trying their utmost to reach the day when their bodies are strong and the gates will open. Wandering a little further I meet old friends who, with our help, made it back into the big wide world and are now enjoying healthy, happy lives in a place where they will remain forever safe and protected.

All of them know how to find their way home - and they do - if ever they should need us again.

Never have I encountered such courage nor will-to-live than in some of the wildlife I have been fortunate to meet. In those cases which cannot be solved, when all is clearly lost, the weariest Kangaroo will still stand tall and proud, the mangiest Wombat will growl and paw the earth, and the weakest Koala will raise his eyes to the blue sky and brandish his claws one last time.

 

These animals have given me some of my happiest and saddest moments, and I am privileged to have known them all.

 

All photographs copyright Georgina Beach.
(excluding personal shots)

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